Knoxville

Knoxville is a university city on the Tennessee River in the eastern part of the state, with the Great Smoky Mountains a short drive to the southeast. It was once the state capital, and older brick buildings still line Gay Street in the downtown core. The University of Tennessee spreads across the west side of the center, and on football Saturdays the whole town turns orange. Away from game days the mood is easy and a little rough around the edges, which locals wear as a badge of honor. The river and its greenways run close to downtown, and the ridges of the Appalachians sit on the horizon. It is a friendly place to spend a night or two before the mountains.

Start downtown. Market Square is a pedestrian plaza of restaurants, shops and outdoor tables, and Gay Street holds the Tennessee Theatre, a restored movie palace that still hosts concerts. World's Fair Park, with the gold Sunsphere, is left over from the 1982 World's Fair, and the Knoxville Museum of Art sits beside it. The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame is also downtown. Neyland Stadium, home of the Tennessee Volunteers, stands on the river next to campus. For fresh air, Ijams Nature Center and the trails of South Knoxville lie just across the water, and the Knoxville Zoo is a short drive east of the center.

Knoxville cooks Southern food and does it well. Expect barbecue, biscuits, fried chicken and Appalachian dishes, along with newer kitchens built around local produce. Market Square and Gay Street hold many of the restaurants, and the Old City, a small district of brick warehouses, is the place for cocktails and live bands. Craft breweries and distilleries are scattered across the center and along the river. Music is part of the city's character, from bluegrass and country to indie rock, and the Bijou Theatre and the Tennessee Theatre keep the calendar full. The Strip along Cumberland Avenue serves the students. Nights are casual and friendly rather than flashy.

Downtown is the easiest base, with hotels around Market Square and Gay Street and plenty of restaurants on foot. The Old City is a short walk east and suits travelers who want bars and music close by. The university area is handy for game weekends but crowded when the team is at home. West Knoxville has chain hotels along the interstates and is quiet in the evening. Knoxville Area Transit runs the buses, but service is basic, and a car is the usual way to reach the trails, the zoo and the mountains. Parking garages are easy to find downtown. McGhee Tyson Airport lies south of the city.

Spring and fall are the best times to visit. Spring brings dogwood blossoms and green hills, and autumn colors the ridges and fills the city with football crowds. Summers are warm and humid, with long evenings by the river, and winters are mild and gray with the odd snowfall. Two days is enough for downtown, the museums and the Old City. Three days adds a hike or a paddle on the river, and a fourth lets you take a day trip into the Smokies. Football weekends fill the hotels quickly, so book early if you plan to come in autumn.

Knoxville sits near the point where Interstates 40 and 75 come together, and Interstate 81 starts a short way east and runs north through Virginia. Nashville lies to the west on I-40, a long afternoon's drive. Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway are over the mountains to the east. Chattanooga is south on I-75, and Lexington and Cincinnati are north. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is reached through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, and Oak Ridge and Cumberland Gap are both easy day trips. There is no passenger rail, so most visitors arrive by car or by air.